Since the middle of the 20th century, important figures have changed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This week, La Loupe draws their portrait with Frédéric Encel, geopolitician and columnist at L’Express, and Corentin Pennarguear, journalist at the Monde service. This last episode is dedicated to the former Syrian president Hafez el-Assad.
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The team: Charlotte Baris (presentation and writing) and Jules Krot (editing and production).
Credits: INA, i24 News, Arte
Music and design: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Image credits: AMR NABIL/AFP
Logo: Jeremy Cambour
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Charlotte Baris: On April 13, 1975, Beirut would experience a tragic Sunday that would plunge Lebanon into a very long crisis. It all began in the morning, with a shooting in a church in the city, carried out by members of a Palestinian militia. A few hours later, a Palestinian bus was attacked in a suburb of Beirut by Phalangists, mostly Christians. For years, political, economic and religious tensions had been rising in the country. But this event would trigger a civil war opposing Christians on one side, and Muslims and Palestinians on the other.
The clashes spread throughout Lebanon, causing thousands of deaths in a few months. In difficulty, the leaders of the Christian militias called on Syria for help. The leader of the country was called Hafez el-Assad, and he quickly saw an opportunity. The Syrian army entered Lebanon on May 31, 1976, and brought about a certain lull. The civil war would continue until 1990. A war in which the Syrian president would change sides in turn. This control of Hafez el Assad’s Syria would last for decades, and put Lebanon in a difficult position at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
To go further
Pagers, telephones, walkie-talkies… Hezbollah’s security system foiled
“If Israel goes to war against Hezbollah…”: Lebanese and Israelis between anxiety and dismay
Explosions in Lebanon: When the Middle East rejoices in the humiliation of Hezbollah